Two Brother Chipmunks
by BlobO'Puff
Summary: Two chipmunks living their daily lives until they encountered a hawk. Who knew the hawk brought them an adventure instead of their deaths. Arthur seeks to find and bring back Alfred, his brother.
1. Chapter 1

Two Brother Chipmunks – America & England

Two chipmunks living their daily lives until they encountered a hawk. Who knew the hawk brought them an adventure instead of their deaths. Arthur seeks to find and bring back Alfred, his brother.

* * *

"I AM THE HERO! YAHOO~"

Arthur let out a huge sigh. Why can't Alfred be more mature? He sighed again as Alfred landed face first into a murky pile of mud.

"Oh please… Stop acting like a monkey swinging around boughs. And what are you now? A pig?" Arthur crouched down and prodded the viscous mud with a twig.

"Monkey? Pig? Aren't we chipmunks?" Alfred stopped rolling around and glanced up at Arthur with an innocent sparkle in his beady, sapphire eyes.

Sheesh… Is this really the younger brother I raised? Slowly, Arthur stood up, turned on his heels and lumbered away from Alfred to gather some dry, dead leaves. "Yes we are chipmunks. Now stop fooling around and help me collect some soft and dry leaves."

"Heh heh! Let the Hero do it!" Alfred scrambled out of the mucky pile of earth and scampered off in the opposite direction.

"Don't wander off too far!" Arthur yelled after Alfred as he faded into the luxuriant foliage.

Just then, the dense canopy of an oak tree ruffled, causing a leaf to drift down before landing lightly atop Arthur's head.

... ... ...

I'm the Hero, I'm the best. Alfred beamed as he mused to himself. Alfred the Hero will bring a ton of leaves back and make Artie happy. Alfred's grin grew wider as he picked up more leaves.

He was soon distracted as he heard a rustling of leaves overhead, followed by a shower of verdant leaves upon him. Alfred craned his head and looked up. Wow… Alfred thought as he marvelled at the magnificent sight of the falling leaves that drifted lazily on a balmy breeze.

His attention was soon garnered on a leaden figure amid the falling leaves gliding towards him. Sensing danger, Alfred dropped the many leaves he had collected to please Arthur and scurried in the direction where he came from; Arthur had once mentioned about giant birds, Alfred recalled. They would swoop down, grab you with their big talon-like claws all in an instant and when they're hungry, they rend your flesh clean off your bones while you're still alive.

Alfred let out a strangulated squeak of fear. I'm a Hero! Heroes don't get eaten alive! I'm still too young too! Artie… Artie! "ARTIE!"

... ... ...

Arthur started as the tranquil silence of the forest was suddenly shattered by a shriek, that seemed to belong to Alfred, echoing throughout the forest. "Alfred?" Arthur frowned and knitted his bushy eyebrows. Taking a few steps forward, he called out, "ALFRED?"

"ARTIE!"

Arthur's emerald eyes widened – so much so that they threatened to come out of their sockets – when a chestnut ball of fur hurled right at him at a blistering speed. "Wha–"

The furry ball rammed straight into Arthur and now there were two furry auburn balls rolling across the forest floor. Both Arthur and Alfred rolled for a while before crashing into a nearby tree.

"WHAT THE H–" Arthur's jaw dropped to the ground when he spotted a grey figure, belonging to that of a hawk, approaching them at lightning speed from where Alfred had appeared. "H- H- HAWK!"

Grabbing Arthur's diminutive wrist, Alfred tugged at his arm roughly, "Arthur! ARTHUR! WE NEED TO GO!"

"BLOODY HELL!" Arthur scrambled to his feet and scurried away with Alfred before stealing a glance at the hawk in pursuit of them.

Said hawk was hot on their heels. Arthur and Alfred were just not fast enough. Given two chipmunks and a hawk, the outcome was obvious. The massive predator narrowed its eyes on a target, extended its sharp claws, and readied itself to swoop down…

"Haa… HAA! ARTIE! ARTIE ARTIE ARTIE ARTIE ARTIE …" Alfred could not help but flail his limbs and holler for Arthur as he found himself scurrying on air.

Trepidation flashed across his face as Arthur took in what happened. The hawk had already gained on them. It had swooped down and sunk its giant claws on the minute shoulders of the chipmunk on the left, sending droplets of scarlet blood splattering like confetti. Subconsciously, Arthur ran his right arm across his face to wipe away the blood of his own brother away. A-Alfred..?

* * *

wait for it ~~~ reviews pls ! :D


	2. Chapter 2

Two Brother Chipmunks – America & England chapter 2

To be converted to an adventure! :D

* * *

"ALFRED!" Arthur watched in horror as the hawk took flight. Regaining his senses, he gave chase as fast as he could. No… Don't… Don't take Alfred away… Arthur spied a gigantic tree ahead and picked up his speed. He scurried up around the tree, giving no care in the world that the tree's bark was thorny. Slightly blinded by the dazzling sunlight that filtered through the thick, lush canopy top, Arthur shut his eyes and let the rest of his senses take over.

The hawk cawed as it broke through the top layer of the forest trees. There! Arthur mused. He lengthened his strides and sprung forward out of the canopy.

"ARTHUR!"

Arthur opened his eyes to see the hawk flying away and to the sky: he had failed to jump on the hawk and rescue Alfred. He glanced at Alfred and Alfred glared back. Never-seen-before tears streamed down Alfred's face. Arthur watched as the hawk took Alfred away…

Realising that he had jumped off the tree and was now 'flying' in the air, Arthur flapped his arms in a panicky manner to keep himself afloat – but unfortunately he was a chipmunk, not a bird – but he soon found himself falling. Leaves and branches met Arthur as he fell through them, leaving cuts and bruises on his body as a welcome gift back into the forest.

Arthur rolled on his back and splayed his sore limbs out. His furry chest rise and fell at least 10 times faster than usual. The forest seemed much quieter without his brother. Arthur gazed up at the sky. He played out the recent scenes from when an Alfred ball was hurled at him to Alfred shedding his first tears. Alfred…

… … …

"YOU STUPID, DAMNED BIRD!" barked Alfred. He clawed his miniature claws at the hawk's giant claws gripping on his shoulder. "LET ME GO!" Not receiving any reaction from the hawk, Alfred dropped his hands by his side. His shoulders were already in agony and he did not want his fingernails to bleed either. Arthur. Alfred sniffed. He was not going to see him ever again: the hawk would bring him to her nest and feed on him. Getting eaten by ugly birds and getting pooped out was not a death he wanted. Alfred's face turned into a scowl as he thought about that. Ew…

The hawk had flown for twenty minutes or so already. Was it not bringing him to its nest? Alfred wondered. They were still flying above the wide expanse of forest that never seemed to have an end to it.

After being held by his shoulders for another five minutes, Alfred felt drowsy. His stiff shoulders was aching, his body felt numb, and his eyelids weighed a ton. Yawning, Alfred slowly drifted into slumber land – where pain was non-existent and a certain chipmunk was there. "Arthur…" mumbled Alfred as the world went black.

… … …

Arthur had lain on the forest floor the whole time, playing the images over and over again and cursing himself for being careless. He shouldn't have let Alfred on his own. He didn't run fast enough. He couldn't protect Alfred. Stupid, stupid me. It's all my damn fault.

"UGH!" Arthur suddenly sat bolt upright, causing pain to engulf his tiny body. He winced in pain and shut his eyes, enduring the pain until it slowly subsided. When the pain ceased, Arthur hesitantly opened his eyes. Alfred… Gone… His vision turned blurry as tears brimmed his eyes. Careful not to allow pain to torture him again, Arthur rose on his two feet. As he turned around towards his – and Alfred's – abode, something sparkled softly. Arthur stopped in his tracks and rubbed his wet eyes. He lowered his arm and slowly approached the shimmering object out of curiosity.

Is that what I think it is? Squatting down, Arthur hooked a finger through the ring. Arthur frowned: the gold ring seemed familiar. Oh, he recalled. It was around the hawk's left leg. He rolled it around his finger and scrutinised the strange runes which were carved on it. The opposite side of the ring caused Arthur to temporarily stop breathing. He did not know whether to smile or to feel sad.

Alfred, I'm coming…

* * *

I hope that went well o.o' stay tuned for chapter 3! Oh and reviews pls !


	3. Chapter 3

Two Brother Chipmunks – America & England

Chapter 3

Oh uhm, forgot to add a disclaimer. So eh... DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hetalia nor the names of the chipmunks here.

* * *

Alfred awoke with a start for the hawk made a sudden, ear-piercing call over his head. "Ngh, you stupid bird…" Alfred gave a huge yawn and rubbed his dreary eyes. Still a tad groggy, Alfred slowly fluttered open his eyelids.

What he saw nearly made him drop his tail. Concentric rows of birds – predators such as hawks, vultures, eagles, buzzards, you name it, that ate squirrels – lined every single tree branch. It was as though a whole colony of birds from their respective species were gathered here. They seemed to form a ring around a large, black and dark figure that Alfred couldn't quite discern given the distance between him and it. A thick, sinister cloud of eerie silence hung over the massive birds that sent a cold, icy shiver down Alfred's spine. It was dead silent: no bird dared move a muscle; they even seemed to stop breathing so as to add on to the menacing silence.

The hawk holding Alfred captive slowed down and flew just a few inches over the top row of birds. The eerie silence coupled with the intense gaze of bloodlust was so palpable that Alfred held his breath and stiffened his body, lest he make a small movement which will cause the horrifying birds to come at him.

Alfred jerked forward as the hawk flapped its wings to get ready to land. However, the grip on his shoulders suddenly eased and Alfred found himself scraping against the forest floor.

Stupid bird, cursed Alfred as he lifted himself up by his arms. As soon as he remembered that he was not alone, he scolded himself and immediately removed his support. In an uncomfortable position, Alfred inclined his head upwards to behold the towering bird that perched itself on a massive boulder.

Perched majestically on the boulder was a gargantuan black eagle, almost twice as large as the biggest bird encircled around it. Its beaks were longer and sharper than normal birds; its sleek and tamed feathers were the darkest shade of black; its wings looked as though it could consume Alfred in it; both its legs wore a luminescent gold band; its claws were so sharp that it could pierce through anything; and its tail was curved up high and haughtily. Alfred gulped down his saliva in an attempt to quell the fear rising in him as the midnight black, empty eyes stared down at him.

… … …

Arthur shot a last glance at his – and Alfred's – oak tree and scampered off to another branch of the tree, and another, and another. It was dark now, the best – and only – time to set off for Alfred. Aware that the night held nocturnal predators, Arthur quietly leapt from one branch to another, keeping his ears open and eyes wide for any sign or noise.

That gold band... Arthur had heard from chipmunks and other small animals passing by before. One or two of them had been captured before and was lucky to have escaped: getting out of there alive or dead was a probability one out of one thousand. They all spoke about a gold band round the legs of Her captives and Her slaves as a sign that they belonged to her. The rest had their loved ones taken and thus knew about it.

But that was five months ago. Who knew that Her underlings would travel this far to please Her with a nice little chipmunk so that She could manipulate the poor thing with Her sick methods. Alfred, being manipulated and twisted and contorted into a mangled mess and then casually thrown away when She's done with him. It was wrong in the beginning, so sickeningly wrong. Having your own body played with like how a child bullies its toy; suffering every impossible twist and turns that your body should not be making. Terrifying and crude scars that would haunt you for your whole life deeply etched in your bodies to remind you of the pain and misery with Her.

Arthur shook his head. And She had to take Alfred. Why was it Alfred? Why wasn't I the one taken instead?

"HOOT!" "WOA–" Flapping wings brushed across Arthur's face and he came to an abrupt halt. Apparently he had almost run into an owl.

Stupid Arthur. Focus. You need to focus on saving Alfred now. "Follow the North Star and head north." Arthur muttered to himself: since the animals from the last time were heading south, Arthur presumed that She was residing in the North.

And thus, Arthur followed the North Star, in faint hopes of reuniting with Alfred.

* * *

I don't know how it came to this o_o uh, hope you like it?


	4. Chapter 4

Two Brother Chipmunks – America & England

Chapter 4

Moving on, here's the next chapter ~

* * *

"USELESS!"

Alfred watched in horror as yet another animal was flung over to the heap of dead puppets. It had been four days now. Ever since Alfred was swallowed into the black eagle's wing and brought to this ravine, everyday was as torturous as hell. Besides Alfred, there were other squirrels and the like hung on the two opposite steep, rocky walls around five metres apart. They were held up and against both sides of the wall by some invisible rope. The animals all had a sickly pallor and looked drawn: there was no food, no rest and no peace. Overhead and to Alfred's left, the ravine extended a long way with no end to it; To Alfred's right was an obscure shadow of the black eagle handling another fauna and flanked next to it was a growing heap of dead animals.

"AHHH!" a shrill scream issued from the chipmunk the eagle was holding. It shook and shivered and quaked as the eagle stared at its chest. The animal's eyes turned completely black comparable to that of the eagle's eyes. The poor animal writhed in pain and agony like all the other animals in the dead pile had and the pain was so tangible that all the other live animals winced and shut their eyes in fear.

"WEAK!" yet another fallen one was added to the heap of animals. The black eagle's blurry shadow turned to face the dead heap, muttered something incomprehensible, and the dead animals and it vanished into a wispy cloud which gradually dissipated into the air.

Soon, darkness enshrouded Alfred and the animals. Even though it was nightfall and the cruel black eagle was gone, no one could sleep: the terror on the animals' faces in the eagle's grip and the fear of being the next one haunted them, even in their dreams if they had one. This was likewise for Alfred. Alfred wanted to go home so badly. Alfred wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Alfred wanted to escape with all the other animals. Alfred wanted to not see anymore of the horrible black eagle. Alfred wanted not to see more animals killed. Alfred wanted to see Arthur… but Arthur would not know he's here. Arthur would think that he's already dead. Arthur would not come. Alfred would never see Arthur ever again. Even though Alfred was a hero, he couldn't do anything…

… … …

"SHUT UP WOULD YOU?!"

"LALALA~ I'M A PUFFIN AND YOU'RE A SQUIRREL~"

"I'M A CHIPMUNK YOU GIT! NOW GO AWAY!" Arthur was fuming maddd. This damned bird wouldn't stop singing and had followed Arthur since an hour ago. Now his ears wouldn't stop ringing and his stomach wouldn't stop growling. There was no sight of an acorn tree or any tree that bears food and Arthur was starving. He had wanted to sleep so that his hunger pangs would ease but the puffin had found him resting on against a tree branch and decided that Arthur would make the perfect audience; and thus Arthur was now searching for food and at the same time trying to shake the bird off.

"OW! WHY DID YOU HIT ME FOR?" Arthur rubbed his head and glared daggers at the puffin.

The puffin cleared its throat and a gravelly voice sang, "I'M A PUFFIN…"

"UGHHH" Arthur pressed his hands against his ears and stomped ahead. Dammit. He was in a hurry. Four days was too long. He needed to find Alfred before it was his turn. But that stupid puffin wouldn't leave him alone and his stomach wouldn't shut up too.

Stupid puffin…

* * *

More characters coming up...


	5. Chapter 5

Two Brother Chipmunks

Chapter 5

_Himaruya Hidekazu_ ftw~

* * *

"MR PUFFIN!"

"Give it up, Ice. It's good that annoying bird is gone anyway…" Norw calmly proposed as he nibbled on his acorn.

"Eh…" Dropping his hands to his side, Ice plodded over and sat opposite to Norw. "Can't you ask one of your fairies to find Mr Puffin?"

"Not unless you call me Onii-chan…"

Ice pouted and mumbled, "… Onii-chan."

"You said something?"

"Onii-chan..."

… … …

Berry! Arthur quickly scurried over to a bush on the far side of his right, with the puffin tagging along. The little berries were an odd colour of ivory but Arthur was unable to resist any longer. As he raised a hand ready to pick one, a green flying rabbit headbutted Arthur's hand and knocked off the berry. "WHA–?"

With his hand still hovered in the air, Arthur stared wide-eyed at the flying bunny. What the hell? Recovering his senses, Arthur ignored the flying rabbit thinking that he was hallucinating due to his hunger and reached out for another berry. However, the bunny fluttered its wings and knocked off the berry too.

With his hunger pangs and the puffin's atrocious singing, this weird rabbit suddenly popping out of nowhere and refusing to let him eat really got on Arthur's nerves. Arthur glared at the flying rabbit and readied himself for a full-blown berry-picking frenzy.

"YA YA YA YA YA YA YA YA YA YAA!" Every berry that Arthur picked still got knocked off his hand by the green flying rabbit, causing ivory berries flying and littering everywhere on the forest floor. Peace was restored in the forest when a berry flew into the puffin's mouth making him gag.

After all the berries were picked off the now bare bush, Arthur plopped on the ground and panted. Damn that bunny… Said bunny wasn't a little tired and even flew around Arthur restlessly.

_These berries are poisonous, you know…_ Arthur started as a lilting voice came from nowhere and panned around him. Where did that voice come from? _Wee~ what's your name?_

"W- Who are you? Show yourself you scaredy git."

_I'm right here…_ The flying bunny stopped swirling around Arthur and hovered in front of him.

"Y- You?" Arthur gave the bunny a 'o_O?' face and the bunny nodded. Standing up, Arthur cleared his throat and replied, "I'm Arthur. What are you?"

The bunny beamed, _hiya Arthur, I'm a flying bunny~_

"Of course I can see that." Arthur's stomach growled, "Uh- uhm, do you have any food?"

_Nope~ Hey your friend over there's choking~_ the bunny flew around Arthur and swirled around the puffin.

"He's not my fr–"

Something suddenly whizzed past Arthur, leaving a trail of turqoise dust behind, "Mr Puffin! What are you doing?!"

"KAK- KAKKAK- GAK- KELP KEE!" A green pixie drew back and rammed into the puffin's belly, making the puffin wheeze and an ivory berry popped out from its mouth.

"Ice-sama and Norw-sama were looking for you! Where did you run off to…" Arthur could only stare at the scene unfolding before him. Pixies? Flying bunnies? What the hell is this forest?

… … …

"LALALA~ …"

Both Ice and Norw looked up at the same time: that voice could be recognised anywhere.

"Norw-sama. I've brought back Mr Puffin. And a few others as well…" A green pixie flew and sat on Norw's shoulder.

"OH CAN YOU PLEASE SHUT UP YOU GITTT!" Ice and Norw turned around to see a raged chipmunk stomping its way towards them, a green flying bunny beside it… and an annoying puffin singing with its gruff voice.

As soon as Norw and Ice were in his line of sight, Arthur stopped and they locked eyes for a moment.

"Norw… A chipmunk, like us."

"Yes… A rare flying bunny…"

* * *

ps, don't know Iceland's and Norway's 'human' names so yeah.


	6. Chapter 6

Two Brother Chipmunks

Chapter 6

* * *

"… So, this is a magical forest, huh." Arthur re-iterated what Norw and Ice had just said, just to break the uncomfortable silence – not including the singing puffin – among them. After introducing themselves, Arthur explained to the other two about Alfred and in turn, Norw and Ice exchanged information about the forest and the reason why they had travelled here: Ice and Norw were to lend a hand in the fight against some evil eagle but they first had to meet up with their three brothers. Now, Arthur, Ice and Norw would be travelling together.

"Yes. A cute bunny this is…" Norw's cerulean eyes stared into the flying mint bunny's tiny, round eyes and poked its ears.

Seeing that Arthur had popped the last acorn into his chubby cheeks, Ice ignored Norw and said, "if you're done, we'll get going now."

(AND SO, Arthur, Ice, Norw, the flying mint bunny, Mr Puffin and the green pixie set off to meet Ice's and Norw's other three brothers)…

… … …

"DEN! BERWALD!" Tino screamed after them as the two eagles flew away with Den swearing profanities and a struggling Berwald in their grasp.

"Ugh…" Kiku winced in pain as he clutched his torn flesh on his left arm and tried to get up.

"No… no… Kiku! Don't move! Let me heal you." Rushing over to the injured chipmunk, Tino gently placed his hand on the wound on Kiku's arm and muttered a healing spell. The sides of the open flesh shifted nearer and joined each other, as though someone was sewing them together. Tears slid down the weeping chipmunk's cheek and a few of them made their way over Kiku's mending wound. "… I'm sorry, Tino. I just was not quick enough."

"I- It's alright…" Tino replied after a while. "Let's just hurry and find Ice and Norw…"

… … …

Hesitant, Ice placed a comforting arm around a sobbing Tino. When his name was called, he had turned to his left and had found himself skidding on the ground with a distraught chipmunk soaking his fur with tears.

"Nice to see you, Ice, Norw." Everyone present (namely Ice, Norw, green pixie, Mr Puffin, flying mint bunny and Arthur from right to left of the bush's p.o.v) looked bemused at the bush from where the voice came and where Tino had appeared.

"Kiku." Acknowledged Norw. Norw glanced behind Kiku who emerged from the bush as though expecting someone else to be there.

Noticing that Norw was a tad baffled, Kiku reluctantly explained, "D- Den and Berwald have been taken…"

At that, Tino sobbed harder into Ice's chest and Ice tightened his hug around Tino. Arthur could tell that Norw was trying to keep his wrath in when he tore his eyes away from Kiku and glared at a nearby leaf – that almost burst into flames under his terrifyingly cold gaze.

After a round of introduction between Arthur and Kiku, they set off once more, now to their actual destination: the Hazel Tree…

* * *

Sorry for the gradually shorter chapters, trying to add more characters in.

Btw, following chapters will be published later.


	7. Chapter 7

Two Brother Chipmunks

Chapter 7

* * *

"Whoa!" Arthur swerved to his left just in time as a chipmunk skidded on the ground.

"Kesesesesese!" Arthur watched as the pale-furred chipmunk with odd crimson eyes that rolled across the floor. Said chipmunk sat up and rubbed the back of his head. Arthur stared as he spotted a yellow chick glued on the chipmunk's head. "Hey Liz! You didn't have to hit me with your frying pan."

"You deserved it!" A female chipmunk with a Lilliputian frying pan glowered over at the albino chipmunk although they were a distance away.

"Kesese! C'mon! The Awesome Me was just having fun with some edelweiss."

"You do know those are Roderich's right?"

As if on cue, a chipmunk with a brown curl waltzed beside the female chipmunk and sneered at albino chipmunk on the floor. Ha! That's what you get for messing with my flowers! Beat him, Elizaveta. Beat him! Was what he thought inwardly, but being a gentleman – as he called it – he flashed a charming smile at Elizaveta and bowed his head slightly, "Thank you."

In a split second, Elizaveta switched to the other side of her personality and smiled sweetly at Roderich. Roderich held out his arm for her to hook and they ambled into the bushes like a newly-wed couple.

"Gilbert! Are you alright?" Kiku rushed over to Gilbert and helped him up while Tino, Arthur, Ice, Norw, flying mint bunny, the green pixie, and even Mr Puffin remained stunned.

"… Dammit." muttered the crimson-eyed chipmunk as he stood up and dusted himself.

… … …

Slamming forcefully on the tree's buttress root, Gilbert put his hands on his hips and exclaimed, "Alright! The Awesome Me has arrived!"

An impression of a doorway imprinted onto the massive tree trunk and slowly swung open outwards by itself. The whole spectrum of light flowed out into the now dark forest and Arthur instinctively narrowed his eyes to a slit, letting it adjust to the bright light. The various hues of colours gave off an almighty feel to it, as though something big, something astonishing, something all so glorious were unfolding before Arthur. The other chipmunks, however, just casually sauntered in, leaving Arthur alone to bask in the magnificent colours emanating from the insides of the Hazel Tree. Slowly, Arthur creaked open an eye.

What he saw almost caused his soul to slip away from its host body.

The doorway allowed Arthur to see what was of another whole new dimension within the great Hazel Tree which was in turn a small part of the enormous expanse of forest that makes up a tiny percentage of the earth's surface. It was some sort of an underground cavern. The place was enormous, at least the size of two football fields in human terms, and divided into four parts. The first quarter of the cavern saw small, misty streams weaved through several patches of lush, verdant grasses. Boulders outlined and various techni-coloured flowers dotted the patches of grass which were connected by small bridges of logs. Cosy sunlight filtered through potholes in the roof of the cave, making overhanging vines shine softly. The sun rays reflected off the water surface and bounced off the walls of the cavern, giving the whole place a nice, magical feel. Fairies and pixies fluttered their wings, littering specks of glitter around the place.

As the cavern stretched inwards, more and more lily-of-the-valley adorned the roof. To the left, a refreshing waterfall flowed down gently and branched out into the streams in the first quarter and a wider channel that partitioned the first and second quarter of the cavern.

The farther half of the cavern Arthur could not discern the details clearly – the far-end of the cavern disappeared into the deep depths of the area. Furthermore, the cavern was seething with chipmunks carrying out their individual activities, not allowing Arthur to completely relish the delights the cavern contained.

Finally able to fully control his body, Arthur strode up to the entrance. Stopping just before it, he blinked; he was sure he saw an invisible film of fluid reflect light. Just to be sure, he held up a finger and slowly moved it forward.

_Wee~~~_ the flying mint bunny, who apparently had not enter the Tree yet, playfully slammed straight in Arthur, making him go '_splat'_ on the invisible wall blocking the entrance. And everything went black – well, for Arthur.

* * *

Ok lousy ending 'cuz I just didn't know how to continue. Uhm chapter 8 may come next week and the chapters after that may be in November.


	8. Chapter 8

Two Brother Chipmunks

Chapter 8

* * *

"Ughhh…" Arthur grunted wearily. His nose tickled. There was a rather therapeutic scent of flowers coupled with a tranquil and magical atmosphere hung in the air. Everything felt so peaceful, so calm, so serene, so heavenly… Gradually, his body let loose and relaxed – making him to realise that he had been tensed. Unwillingly, he opened his eyes. Above him, wicker nests swayed loosely in the soft breeze. Held by vines, they were arranged in orderly layers of rows and columns at least four stories high. Flowers of varying species – poppies, daisies, lilies, sunflowers – glued to a corner of the wicker nests played with the never ceasing breeze. A loose blue petal came off a cornflower and drifted down towards Arthur. Subconsciously, he reached out for it, and it landed softly on the tip of his index finger. Before he could lower his hand to get a better look at it, the breeze took it away, carrying it to Arthur's left.

Arthur watched as it flew away, further and further, until it was out of sight. Blue, the colour of Alfred's eyes – though Alfred's was a lighter shade of blue. He wondered how Alfred was coping, whether he was still alive or… Arthur shook his head; Alfred was alive, he just know it, and he would find him as soon as possible.

"Oh? A buck shouldn't be shedding tears." Hastily, Arthur swiped at the tears forming without his permission and looked away.

"Here, mon ami." A scarlet rose hovered above his right cheek. When Arthur didn't react, the rose was shoved into his face.

Reluctantly, Arthur responded. "Nn… What do you want?"

"Someone to talk to."

"Go away…"

"I'm Francis." Seeing that the chipmunk on the wicker nest didn't say anything, he continued. "I'm really bored out here; all the does are having their training now. Hey, you're from outside this forest right? If you have any questions about this place, feel free to be enlightened by yours truly."

Arthur could tell that Francis bowed at the end of his sentence. Finally having something relevant to talk about, Arthur rolled to his right and sat up. "Where is the Witch?"

Francis stared at him for a moment, both out of surprise to Arthur's unusual bushy eyebrows and surprise to his question, "Witch?"

"Yes, the Witch."

"What witch?"

Arthur almost rolled his eyes. God, is he feigning it or is he really stupid to know nothing of the Witch. "_The Witch_, you frog. The Witch who sends her predator birds to capture chipmunks and bring them to Her. The Witch who manipulates the minds and bodies of the unfortunately caught chipmunks and use them for whatever creepy reason of Hers. The Witch who–"

Arthur got cut out by Francis' peals of laughter. Crossing his arms, Arthur stared at him in disgust. Just what was he laughing about? Just what was so funny about the Witch torturing chipmunks? Just what the hell is wrong with _this _frog?

With the look on Arthur's face, Francis gripped his stomach and clasped his hand on his mouth. His laughter eventually ceased as he tried to suppress it. "M- mon ami." Choked Francis. "We have no witch here. We only have a Black Eagle."

Huh?! No Witch? What black eagle? … The gold band! Yes the gold band. It's a proof of the Witch's awful existence. "What about the gold band? The Witch has a gold band."

Flicking a tear with his finger, Francis corrected, "You mean, the _Black Eagle_ has a gold band."

Arthur stared in reply. His mind was in a whirl now. There wasn't a Witch? Wait, the Witch is the Black Eagle? No but… HUH?

Arthur opened his mouth to clarify his doubts but Francis had already flitted away to flirt with female chipmunks, leaving his rose where he stood previously.

Feeling helplessly confused, Arthur fell back onto the wicker nest and shut his eyes.

… … …

"DAMNIT!"

This chipmunk Alfred had been watching was particularly active – though not as high as Alfred had been before, of course. Ever since he had been brought to the ravine, he had been struggling at the invisible ropes binding him for the past two hours. Lucky for him, the Black Eagle was not around.

"L't it go. It's d'rk m'gic: ya w'n't b able to br'k it." Berwald, who had been staying stiff beside him, suggested.

"DAMNIT!" Den cursed again as he took Berwald's advice. He looked around him for once and took in his surroundings. He frowned when he saw that the other animals were drawn and lifeless, all except Alfred who was looking at him. Grinning, he shouted over to Alfred on the other wall, "Hey!"

Being in this shit hole for close to five days now and experiencing the torment of seeing innocent souls slipping away from their hostage like nobody's business, Alfred seemed to have lost his ability to communicate normally with other animals; thus he just stared at him instead while trying to form the right words with his mouth.

Thinking that Alfred had not heard him, Den shouted a little louder, "HI! I'm Den!"

"A- Alf…" was all Alfred could manage with the little energy he had left in him.

"Huh? Elf? You're not an elf–" Den trailed off as a gust of wind erupted from a swirling, jet-black orb. It slowly faded away into wisps, revealing a coal-black mass encased in its gargantuan wings. A pair of ghostly white eyes blinked several times as the wings unfurled, exposing the Black Eagle hidden in its protection. Fluttering its wings rather haughtily, the Black Eagle shambled towards a cringing chipmunk, a chipmunk by the name of Alfred.

* * *

That's it for now. I'll be continuing the story in November. Grazie for reading all the way~


End file.
